8 November Elections a Landmark Achievement – But Now the Hard Work Starts

On Sunday 8 November the people of Burma went to the polls. Millions of Burmese men and women turned out to queue, patiently, for hours to cast their vote. Make no mistake – these are historic elections. For the first time in over 50 years, the people of Burma were able to freely choose their parliamentary representatives.

Today, on Human Rights Day, it is worth taking a moment to reflect and to remember how far Burma has come. Five years ago, Aung San Suu Kyi was under a third period of house arrest after 15 years in confinement. Political dissent was silenced. The media was strictly state-controlled. Thousands of political prisoners languished in jail, and genuine peace talks in the world’s longest running civil war seemed a distant prospect. For international observers to characterise last month’s elections as peaceful, orderly and well-managed is a victory for the people of Burma. They, in turn, sent a clear and courageous signal of their desire for further democratic change.

This is not to say the elections were perfect. There were flaws and irregularities. In celebrating the success of the process, we must also remember that not everyone got to take part in it. An entire community – the Rohingya who are already persecuted in Rakhine State – were denied a voice in the election. While many in Burma have seen extensive improvements since the transition began, minorities like the Rohingya and those living in conflict-affected areas have not yet felt the benefits. This disparity is something the incoming Burmese government will need to grip, quickly.

The new administration will face high public expectations and a challenging legacy of serious human rights concerns. These will need urgent attention. They will need to find a way of opening up the democratic space and releasing remaining political prisoners, tackling sexual violence in conflict affected areas and addressing rising tensions and anti-Muslim hate speech. The hard work starts now.

The UK can take great pride in our encouragement and engagement with Burma, and the part this has played in the changes of the last few years. The Prime Minister called Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 November to offer continued political and economic support for Burma’s people. Throughout we have consistently championed human rights. I have personally lobbied the Burmese government on human rights issues on numerous occasions. But clearly the reform process is not yet complete, and there is still further to go.

On 8 November the Burmese people voted for a democratic and accountable government, for universal human rights and fundamental freedoms. As Burma moves into the next stage of its transition the UK stands ready to support all of Burma’s people in achieving their aspirations.